Japan Labor Review
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TOYO88 Japan Labor Review 2005 Autumn 表紙（2C） CF0453 K ISSN 1348-9364 Japan Labor Review Labor Japan Japan Vo Labor Review lume 2, Number 4, Autumn 2005 Volume 2, Number 4, Autumn 2005 Special Edition Foreign Workers Contents Articles The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training Current Issues Concerning Foreign Workers in Japan ･････････････････ 6 Makoto Ogawa Migrant Workers in the Post-War History of Japan ･････････････････････ 25 Yasuo Kuwahara Foreign Workers in Japan: Reality and Challenges ････････････････････ 48 Kazuaki Tezuka Human Resource Management for Nikkei Workers and the Increase of Indirect Employment ････････････････････････････････････････････ 72 Hiroaki Watanabe Problems of Foreign Worker Policy in Japan － From the Labor Union Viewpoint ･････････････････････････････････････････････････････････････････ 107 Naoto Oumi Articles Based on Research Reports How Social Dialogue Works to Protect Workers and Their Companies in Time of Restructuring in Japan ････････････････ 125 Norie Honda JILPT Research Activities ･････････････････････････････････････････････････････ 150 The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training size = 152 x 226mm Japan Labor Review 2005 Autumn 表2-3（1C） K Foreign Researcher Invitation Program The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT) organizes Foreign Researcher Invitation Programs. Currently we are inviting foreign researchers to Japan who are highly motivated and have a desire to study Japanese labor issues. Term or Invitation: 1) 1 to 12 months EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 2) Less than 1 month Akira Ono, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training EDITORIAL BOARD Expenses: Hiroyuki Fujimura, Hosei University Yuji Genda, The University of Tokyo The JILPT will cover travel, living and other expenses. Ryo Kambayashi, Hitotsubashi University Reiko Kosugi, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training Motohiro Morishima, Hitotsubashi University Requirements: Harumi Muroyama, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training 1) Must conduct research on Japanese labor policies or other labor issues. Hiroya Nakakubo, Kyushu University Kazuya Ogura, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training 2) Must submit a research report to the JILPT at the end of stay. Fumio Ohtake, Osaka University 3) Must possess sufficient command of Japanese or English. Atsushi Sato, Doshisha University Ryuichi Yamakawa, Keio University 4) Must stay at JILPT while conducting research. 5) Health must be sufficient to carry out and complete intended studies. The Japan Labor Review is published quarterly in Spring (April), Summer (July), Autumn (October), and Winter (January) by the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training. EDITORIAL OFFICE Application deadline: The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training Applications are accepted annually. We are currently accepting applications International Affairs Department 8-23, Kamishakujii 4-chome, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 177-8502 Japan for 2006 (April 2006 to March 2007). If you would like to apply for this year, TEL: +81-3-5903-6315 FAX: +81-3-3594-1113 please submit your application documents by December 10, 2005. Email: [email protected] Homepage: http://www.jil.go.jp/english/index.html Printed in Japan For more details, please access the Foreign Researcher Invitation Program on our website or contact us at: How to Receive the Review: The Review is distributed free of charge. (However, in some cases the receiver will have to pay for postage.) To receive the Review, please complete the order form and fax it to the Editorial Office, or access http://www.jil.go.jp/english/index.html. The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training International Affairs Department © 2005 by the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training 8-23, Kamishakujii 4-chome, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 177-8502 Japan All rights reserved. TEL: +81-3-5903-6311 FAX: +81-3-3594-1113 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.jil.go.jp/english/Invitation.htm Japan Labor Review 2005 Autumn 表2-3（1C） K Foreign Researcher Invitation Program The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT) organizes Foreign Researcher Invitation Programs. Currently we are inviting foreign researchers to Japan who are highly motivated and have a desire to study Japanese labor issues. Term or Invitation: 1) 1 to 12 months EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 2) Less than 1 month Akira Ono, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training EDITORIAL BOARD Expenses: Hiroyuki Fujimura, Hosei University Yuji Genda, The University of Tokyo The JILPT will cover travel, living and other expenses. Ryo Kambayashi, Hitotsubashi University Reiko Kosugi, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training Motohiro Morishima, Hitotsubashi University Requirements: Harumi Muroyama, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training 1) Must conduct research on Japanese labor policies or other labor issues. Hiroya Nakakubo, Kyushu University Kazuya Ogura, The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training 2) Must submit a research report to the JILPT at the end of stay. Fumio Ohtake, Osaka University 3) Must possess sufficient command of Japanese or English. Atsushi Sato, Doshisha University Ryuichi Yamakawa, Keio University 4) Must stay at JILPT while conducting research. 5) Health must be sufficient to carry out and complete intended studies. The Japan Labor Review is published quarterly in Spring (April), Summer (July), Autumn (October), and Winter (January) by the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training. EDITORIAL OFFICE Application deadline: The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training Applications are accepted annually. We are currently accepting applications International Affairs Department 8-23, Kamishakujii 4-chome, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 177-8502 Japan for 2006 (April 2006 to March 2007). If you would like to apply for this year, TEL: +81-3-5903-6315 FAX: +81-3-3594-1113 please submit your application documents by December 10, 2005. Email: [email protected] Homepage: http://www.jil.go.jp/english/index.html Printed in Japan For more details, please access the Foreign Researcher Invitation Program on our website or contact us at: How to Receive the Review: The Review is distributed free of charge. (However, in some cases the receiver will have to pay for postage.) To receive the Review, please complete the order form and fax it to the Editorial Office, or access http://www.jil.go.jp/english/index.html. The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training International Affairs Department © 2005 by the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training 8-23, Kamishakujii 4-chome, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 177-8502 Japan All rights reserved. TEL: +81-3-5903-6311 FAX: +81-3-3594-1113 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.jil.go.jp/english/Invitation.htm Japan Labor Review Volume 2, Number 4, Autumn 2005 CONTENTS Foreign Workers Articles 6 Current Issues Concerning Foreign Workers in Japan Makoto Ogawa 25 Migrant Workers in the Post-War History of Japan Yasuo Kuwahara 48 Foreign Workers in Japan: Reality and Challenges Kazuaki Tezuka 72 Human Resource Management for Nikkei Workers and the Increase of Indirect Employment Hiroaki Watanabe 107 Problems of Foreign Worker Policy in Japan – From the Labor Union Viewpoint Naoto Oumi Articles Based on Research Reports 125 How Social Dialogue Works to Protect Workers and Their Companies in Time of Restructuring in Japan Norie Honda 150 JILPT Research Activities NEXT ISSUE（Winter 2006） The Winter 2006 issue of the Review will be a special edition devoted to Labor and Management Dispute Resolution System. INTRODUCTION Feature Articles: The Issue of Foreign Workers Today, there are an estimated 2 million foreigners in Japan, of whom 800,000 are believed to be working. The combination of fewer children per family and a rapidly aging society in Japan is making the shrinking working population an imminent problem. Because of this, there is increasing talk about whether or not it is advisable to look to foreign labor as a means of maintaining, and if possible strengthening, the economic vitality of the nation. However, the debate over the influx of foreign labor into Japan is no recent phenomenon. In the first half of the 1980s, there was a conspicuous increase in female immigrants from Southeast Asian countries – particularly the Philippines and Thailand – seeking jobs in service sectors such as the entertainment business. In addition, from the middle to the late 1980s, when the bubble economy boomed, the manufacturing and construction industries ran into serious manpower shortages and the possibility of employing foreign workers to make up for the shortfall began to be discussed in earnest. Disagreements persisted between employers, who called for the acceptance of foreign labor as a means of helping the economy, and labor unions, who feared the negative impact such a move might have on domestic employment. One point of agreement that eventually emerged was that foreigners with technical or craft skills should be accepted while caution should be exercised in accepting unskilled workers. It was further agreed that foreign workers of Japanese ancestry, namely descendants of Japanese emigrants to South America, etc., could be accepted with few restrictions. When the Japanese economy ran into a phase of protracted stagnation, an over-supply of labor replaced the shortage, and the arguments concerning the acceptance of foreign labor lost momentum. Since entering the new millennium, however, fear of a future labor shortage has surpassed that of the 1980s, when the shortage was due to a greater demand for manpower. This time, the shortfall has come as a result of an anticipated drop in childbirths and the advancing age of the population. However, against the backdrop of China’s rapid economic growth, workers have been increasingly employed on short-term contracts in factories as a flexible way to utilize human resources and strengthen Japan’s industrial competitiveness. Foreigners with Japanese ancestry were seen as a valuable resource in meeting this demand. It should be noted, however, that millions of foreign workers would have to be employed every year if the shortfall in the labor market due to the shrinkage of Japan’s population is going to be made up solely by accepting foreign labor.